TheScrotish migrantsfrom the southern states of Us had a custom of deep-frying chicken pieces in lard and even before this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The immigrants from Scotland would often work, live and eat with the indentured Africans and this lead to the Africans adding some other seasonings to the food andgeneratingtheir own versionof deep-fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecooksin many a Southern American family where crispy fried chicken became a universal staple. They also learned that it journeyed well inwarmconditions before refrigeration was everyday so was enjoyed on almost an every day basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the region’s most suitable choicefor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a guy named James Boswell who wrote ajournalin 1773 named “record of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his journal he noted that at mealtime the local folks would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say “crispy deep-fried chicken or something like that”. What he in reality heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not crispy fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known procedure for crispy fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most eminent cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy. Her mix had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the United kingdom and more importantly in the US Colonies.
Here is the original mix...
Joint two chickens into pieces; steep them in vinegar for 3-4 hours with pepper, salt, bay and a few cloves. Make a very thick batter first with ½ pint of wine and flour then 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together very well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a superior deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and place them on your dish with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with lemons and a good gravy. These days, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has nearly zero trans fats and we use a brine of buttermilk and salt to season our chicken throughout. It’s amazing to think how far this mix has went worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
